Despite the torrential rain and ensuing mud of the past couple of weeks, the Falcon managed to make it out of the Nairobi suburbs a couple more times for much needed testing.
The first adventure took us behind the Ngong hills where we fired up the new winch and much to the amazement of our mechanic Simon, its rope (not steel) cable pulled the Falcon up and out of the bank effortlessly. Shortly after the Falcon took a wrong turn and sunk down to her axles in thick mud and we spent a happy hour working out how to get her back out. A local Maassai came over and demanded money for ruining his shamba (farm) and, even though we had only left a few tyre marks, we paid up nonetheless to avoid further hassle.
These exercises are designed to find weaknesses and faults and we got what we were looking for. On leaving the yard it became a real struggle to turn the steering because the front differential had locked in error, preventing the Falcon going round the corners. Quite embarrassing when you are stuck in the middle of the Karen High Street, blocking all the traffic.
A leak in the radiator cooling system saw frothing green liquid spurting out of the top expansion tank, fixed by a replacement tank on return to base. We also found that the winch nylon rope had not been put on the spool tightly enough so it bunched up on one side, not a major issue but worth noting.
Friday saw the arrival of James Fallan from London, blinking in the downpours, his suitcase groaning with more essential parts that are simply not obtainable in Kenya. James enjoyed the pleasures of JKIA Customs where he was detained for an hour while they tried to work out whether the radio he had left lying at the top of his suitcase needed a licence or not. Thank goodness they didn’t delve any deeper.
By the weekend the Falcon was ready for another test flight and she headed further into the hills, with Johannes in the front passenger seat working on navigation plans for the big day. There was some concern that driving dirt roads was not enough of a test but we need not have worried. After a while, the Falcon found herself wedged in the bottom of a gully, strewn with rocks and some rather impressive boulders. She had come down a little ledge and then over a handsome drop-off into the rockery.
We needed to tread carefully as the protective steel under-guards were not in place. Getting stuck was easy, and the look of the assembled entourage was somewhat disbelieving as the rear tyre wedged itself against a large boulder and just spun in the wet merrily. Time to build rock bridges to give the wheels something to grip on and then for the winch again (she needs a name as will become a good friend to us – Chewy perhaps?) but the only tree was perched on a ledge in rain-soaked earth.
There was a large boulder, but would it really hold the weight of the Falcon? The winch strap was deployed, the rope tightened and the car wheels rose slowly over the obstacles in their path. Suddenly the rock moved but fortunately we noticed in time and so looked for another winch point. High up on the hill was another rock so big that we needed a tow rope as well as the strap to get low enough on its circumference that the rope would not just slide off. A few more rock bridges later, we eventually managed to winch the old girl up and out of there, only to then drive up a precarious hill and find that the heavy rains had cut a deep ravine higher up. Lacking braking power for some reason we slid backwards but then a side route presented itself and two of us managed to find a decent winching tree and soon enough we were through and out of there. A useful lesson that it can be done, if you keep your head.
Time for a beer in the cold and misty mountains with the lads we went out with and then home in the dark – the lights worked thankfully. Oh, did I forget? As we came down the hill through Ngong Town, the engine spluttered and died……out of fuel !! You need some luck in this game and there was a petrol station at the bottom of the hill which we gently coasted into. If that had happened in the ravine, well we might still be there.
Reaching the yard, a concerted effort to bleed all the brakes identified a crimped metal gear pipe. So new metal pipes need to be made and fitted behind the axles, providing cover from marauding branches…..hooray, another problem identified and resolved before the Charge.
We were invited to have a look over another couple of Rhino Charge cars in a nearby garage which is always helpful in getting another perspective. The Falcon always seems to me like a bit of Dinky Toy in comparison to others who have spent much more money than we have but when asked how the Falcon has done, I was proud to say that we have been in the top five on a couple of outings which made me feel much better. We had some discussion about electrical issues, especially about how the batteries that run the GPS are fitted in line with the rules and regs. Lack of clarity on this and the rear seat belt rules saw me fire off an email to the ever helpful Rhino Ark team to get clarification and the reply was super thoughtful, constructive and helpful which was great.
One of our US-based team-mates thoughtfully raised queries on tyres a few weeks ago and I am delighted to say that one of the other teams has lent us 7 of our type of tyres for the Charge which are in much better condition than the ones we run. As these cost $400 each, this is a significant coup for the Car 30 team even if we need to give them back later.
The week has seen intensive effort to get the bridging ladders fitted, the new electrical split charge systems wired up, rear winch mounted and wired, new fuel pumps fitted and a host of other small jobs that rely on time, effort and patience to be completed properly.
Meanwhile we have been scanning the long-range weather forecasts around Narok town eagerly, hoping that the rain has finally gone away and the rivers will get given a chance to subside at least enough for us to get the truck in to campsite on Wednesday next week. It is apparently semi-arid where we are going to be and those who know the area well say that the ground will dry quickly.
One of our supporters, Nuria (aka HATARI), who is competing against us in one of the girls’ teams, unintentionally took herself practising yesterday on her way to a meeting. Driving down an un-tarred road, she came across a wide piece of water and asked a local passer-by if it was OK to cross. He said that in the big Landcruiser she was driving it would be fine, but not to stop. So off she plunged…..literally. When the water had completely submerged the bonnet and was lapping up the windscreen she did panic but continue through to the other side without stopping!
Driving through water can potentially do a couple of different things:
First off, if the water level is over the tail pipe, the engine rpm must be kept high in order to keep the exhaust pressure up, so that water does not go up the tail pipe and stall the engine. If this was to happen, it wouldn't likely do damage, but the car would have to be towed out of the water. As she was able to drive through, then she didn't have this problem.
If the water level gets above the air intake while the engine is running, the engine could suck in water, and the engine could hydrolock, which means that water is sucked into the cylinders. Because water does not compress like air, water in the cylinders can cause severe damage that will require an engine rebuild or replacement. If water gets in the engine while the engine is stalled, the water will have to be removed before the engine is started or a hydrolock could occur. Remove the spark plugs and crank the engine, and the water will be pumped out of the spark plug holes. If your vehicle hydrolocks, you will know about it, because it would make at least one very loud bang, and would not continue to run. Since most air cleaners are near the top of the engine compartment, in most cases, the water would have to be more than a foot deep to allow water into the air intake.
Finally, if the water gets higher than the vents on your crank case, transmission, or differential, you could get water in your engine, transmission or differential oil. This would allow the vehicle to continue to drive, but over time, it could damage the vehicle. To check if this is the case, check the oil in each of these locations. if the oil on the dipstick appears milky, then there is water in it, and it should be changed.
So HATARI, now you know! At least those passengers driven down to the Charge by her will know that she has done it before.
The final pre-Charge weekend is ahead of us. Final work on the car will be completed, the food shopping, pre-cooking of meals, preparation of tents, loos, showers, tables, chairs, spares. Team-mates are packing their suitcases, with perhaps little idea what is in store for them and will be boarding metal tubes that actually fly. They have Kenya Customs ahead of them, smoky city life, a potentially perilous 6-8 hour drive and then the glories of the open skies and wildness of the African bush waiting to envelop them……..